Take Note
by XIIIshades-of-grey
Summary: Having just entered a new world with Korra, Asami does what engineers do best: take notes. A look at how Korra and Asami's journey together might begin during their Spirit World vacation. In honor of the Korrasami first anniversary!
1. Day 2

**Author's Note** : I'm still working out the kinks of formatting on this site, so I apologize if the spacing is nonexistent at first. I'll be working on it until I get it right. Other than that, thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy!

* * *

Spirit World Tour, Day 2 - Location Unknown

 _Forgot to write yesterday - there was so much to see! I'll try to remember everything now while Korra is bathing. When we came through the portal, everything was so vivid in color. The portal opens up to a field of flowers a similar shade of purple to the spirit vine energy (probably not a coincidence). In truth, they take on all the shades I've seen the energy emit - they are iridescent and constantly changing. They come to ~ankle height and resemble flytraps with fringe instead of teeth. No noticeable pollen. Does pollen exist in the spirit world?_

 _After looking around for a while, it became apparent that the field made Korra pensive and more than a little twitchy, so we moved further inward. After less than a minute's walk, we were at the edge of the field though it completely dominated the landscape from the portal. *Ask Korra more about connection between her whims and the spirit world._

 _For most of the rest of_

A splash of cold water to the side of her face stopped Asami's progress.

"Ah - Korra!"

"I should've known you were serious about taking notes," Korra chuckled.

Asami simply maintained her half-hearted glare. The offender had been considerate enough to keep her tiny notebook dry, but Asami still didn't relish being wet without warning. At least Korra had the good sense to look sheepish.

"Sorry," she said, bending the remaining water from Asami's hair. "Your face was pretty great, though."

" _Thanks_. I can finish later if you're ready to head out."

"No, we don't have to! We have all the time in the world." Korra flopped into a seated position as if to emphasize the point.

"Well, we have a week's worth of food," Asami pointed out.

"I don't want to rush you, though. If I concentrate, we can probably zoom right over to all the important spots."

Smiling softly, Asami set her notebook aside and turned to face her friend fully. "I'd prefer to see everything along the way, too. But I'm fine with staying here a while longer." Korra seemed to relax a bit at that, so she continued, "You still meditate in the evening, right?"

"Yeah." They had all but collapsed into sleep the night before, but Asami had spied Korra utterly still and focused in the meditation pavilion almost every evening leading up to Kuvira's attack.

"Then I can write while you do that."

"Good plan!" Korra's face split into her signature grin at last, and Asami found herself smiling bigger in response.

* * *

Spirit World Tour, Day 2 (pt. 2) - Location Unknown

 _Today was another day of mostly walking, though our pace was more leisurely than yesterday. Korra said that we might have gone further than it seemed, though. The spirit world doesn't seem to have a day/night cycle in the way we're used to. There are dark and light areas, but otherwise night tends to fall when we start to get tired._

 _The flora is extremely varied in shape, size, and color everywhere we go. Passing through a forest today, I noticed no less than 10 kinds of tree (most deciduous), and several had a deep red bark unlike anything native to the United Republic. Around those trees grew bushes that looked very much like tea plants. Korra assured me that spirits eat just like humans, and even drink tea, but I'm hesitant to test edibility. Korra picked several leaves anyway._

 _In the heart of the forest, we met several talking mushrooms. I suppose I shouldn't be surprised. When asked if any of them were the one that had met Tenzin, etc., a large yellow one spoke up, saying that had been its cousin. (Clarification: all mushrooms were around chest height. The yellow one was a head taller than me.) They were all very friendly, but I'm not entirely sure how to tell if a plant here is sentient if it doesn't speak. I'll just have to rely on Korra's "Avatar Sense". Insert eye roll here. I can tell she's really enjoying being the most spiritually capable one present, though, so that's something._

"Should we try some tea before bed?" Korra asked, stretching her arms skyward. Asami, seated in a mirroring position at her back, had noticed a change in her breathing a couple minutes ago so she wasn't surprised to hear her speak now.

Turning her head ever so slightly, Asami asked in return, "Are you sure it's safe?" She felt a shrug behind her.

"Well, no, but we probably won't die."

That did it - Asami curled in on herself with laugher. In the spirit world, every feeling was amplified, and this was no different. Every wave of laughter brought the lightness that had settled inside during the vacation surging to a near addictive intensity. Why couldn't they stay this way forever?

When she finally looked up and over her shoulder, Asami found Korra gazing at her amusedly. Framed as she was by the twilight - well, Asami was almost overcome all over again with the relief that her three years of waiting were over.

"Well, in that case, let's do it," she said finally. Leaning away to push herself upwards, Korra chuckled.

"Let's do it!"

* * *

An hour and several cups of tea later, the two women sat, legs stretched out, gazing at the sky. The last of the light had finally disappeared, but instead of stars, the view was dominated by great swirls of color not unlike the Northern and Southern lights emanating from the general direction of the portal. This far from the source, the glow wasn't overwhelming, but was still enough to throw interesting shadows on any clouds that happened to float by. They chuckled as Korra pointed out that the most recent one looked like one of Meelo's ridiculous poses. Almost unbidden, Asami let out a wistful sigh.

"He used to love this," she said, keeping her eyes decidedly skyward. She hadn't really meant to let thoughts of her father seep in, but in the ensuing pause, she supposed this was probably the best place for it. It couldn't be helped.

"Tell me about him," Korra said quietly.

Asami wasn't sure she wanted to dwell on this - lingering on tragedy was something she very actively avoided - and yet, she found herself beginning with, "He always made sure we had time to go to the park on Saturday afternoons." From there, stories and descriptions poured forth of their own volition. The stories spanned Asami's whole life, down to Hiroshi's final sacrifice. She didn't even notice when Korra's hand came to rest on hers, but she felt the squeeze the few times she lost the fight with her tears. After a while, she fell silent, unsure if she had it in her to say anything more. She could feel blue eyes upon her, but still she didn't turn to meet them.

"I..." began Korra, "I'm glad you were able to forgive him, too. He was a good man, and whatever his mistakes, he did a lot of good."

"He did," Asami agreed with a small smile.

Korra slid closer to pull her into a hug just like the one they'd shared at Varrick's wedding. And Asami felt better, she really did. There hadn't been much left to bury, so she'd quietly made sure that her father's name was etched beside her mother's in the family plot. It felt good to say something, though. It felt more like moving forward, something Hiroshi would certainly have appreciated. Hollowed out, exhaustion rushed in to fill the void - Asami fell asleep still mid-hug.


	2. Day 3

Spirit World Tour, Day 3 - Foothills of Hai-Riyo Peak

 _It hardly needs to be said, but there are more kinds of spirits than a person could imagine. They seem to be much more likely to reach out in the open areas- most likely spirits reflect the environment they live in (or are they attracted to environments similar to their nature?). Most of today was spent farther from water than we'd strayed before since Korra wanted to visit Hai-Riyo Peak so that we could meet General Iroh (!), and there are significantly more flying spirits around now. A dragon bird spirit friend of Korra's travelled with us for the last leg of the day, but all of the spirits we've met have been extremely welcoming. I got more spirit attention than I've ever had, even when visiting Air Temple Island. No question what brought that on._

 _I did a little experiment today to see what kind of changes I could inspire in our surroundings without attracting too much attention. Taking Korra's hand didn't seem to have much effect. Running my thumb over the back of her hand results in a brief swirl of wind - repeatable x4. Smiling produces no visible effect, but any spirits present giggle. Unsure if Korra's influence or smugness on the spirits' part. Side note: if something makes me laugh, colors become more vivid._

 _I'll have to keep track of effects through the vacation, as well as in later visits. I'm aware this is new to Korra, so results might be skewed. In any event, after I sat down to start writing, she settled right behind me again. We have further confirmation that the Avatar has a weakness for contact. All for science, of course._

 _Anyway, we arrived in the general vicinity of Iroh's tea shop late in the afternoon, but he wasn't there, so we set up camp (such as it is) and spent the rest of the day with whatever spirits came to visit. We went looking for a source of water before dinner and found a spring nearby (still no sense of cardinal direction here). Several spirits that looked like luminescent poodle monkeys lounged in the shallows, but they didn't speak._

 _The ground around the spring was like black sand, but the grains were much larger - like fingernail sized shards of stone that were delicately placed. In places, they almost looked like scales. Through most of what we've seen, the soil has seemed normal (certainly mundane in comparison to everything else), but this really drove home how inherently different the spirit world is from ours. The ground itself is sometimes enough to make one wonder if it's really earth at all._

Asami set her notebook against her knees. She hadn't written very much today, but she was feeling pensive in a way that made continuing difficult. The desire to explore more was slowly taking over Asami's thoughts. She couldn't remember the last time she'd felt restless like this. She needed to do _something_.

She rolled forward to try to get up without causing too much distraction (not that Korra wouldn't notice either way) and found that her butt had fallen asleep. She did get up, but it wasn't nearly as quiet as planned. After trading her notebook for a flashlight in her backpack, Asami turned to see Korra looking at her with a mix of amusement and confusion.

"Going somewhere?"

"I - for some reason, I really feel like taking a walk." Asami wasn't at all surprised to see discomfort flit across her travelling partner's face at that, so she continued, "You're more than welcome to come along, though I might be distracted."

Turning towards the other fully, Korra asked, "Do you _want_ me to come?"

"I'm always happy to have your company, Korra." It was certainly a true statement, but the restlessness was solidifying into something two parts anticipation and three parts warm giddiness, and she knew that Korra's presence wouldn't help.

The latter studied the former for a long moment before sighing and getting to her feet. "Well, I know if anyone messes with you, you'll kick their butt," she said. "There's a lot of potentially weird stuff out there, so maybe don't go too far."

Asami laughed. "Weirder than talking mushrooms?"

"Yes, believe it or not."

"I'll stay close, I promise. I just have to get this out of my system, or I won't be able to sleep later."

Korra stepped forward for a hug, which Asami readily returned. "Okay. See you soon."

As Asami made her way away from the giant leaves that marked their camp, she allowed herself a sigh. Determined as she was to properly navigate what had developed between her and Korra, Asami was not great at being patient when it came to getting what she wanted. It would probably be easier if she was more certain of her course of action. She didn't want to rush her, but on the other hand, full steam ahead was almost never a problem with Korra. It was, in fact, her preferred mode of operation. Asami was starting to flip-flop more and more on what to do. And the constant wonders in their surroundings weren't helping at all. Why did everything here have to feel like magic?

At least she could spend some of the nervous energy seeing more.

* * *

Just under an hour later, it was getting dark enough that Asami would need the flashlight if she wanted to see anything in detail, so she bid farewell to the colorful firefly spirits she'd been poking at and began back toward camp. The cluster of giant leaves was still visible in the distance. Using her walk as a distraction had worked to an extent, but now that that was effectively over, Asami found that she was a bit put out with herself for ending up so far away. Clearing her head had been nice, but three years apart had been more than enough. She walked a little faster at that.

During the return trip, it became increasingly apparent that there was a rather large fire set up at camp. Its controlled appearance kept Asami from feeling concerned, though it was much bigger than was necessary for tea. After following its light for a bit, it occurred to her that that was probably exactly the point.

Asami was practically jogging by the time she reached the giant leaves, and as she came into sight, Korra rose to meet her halfway.

"I'm back!" she said. Or she would have if Korra hadn't kissed her as soon as she was in reach.

It was sweeter than Asami could have imagined, and warm since Korra had been so close to the fire. There was a certain lack of reservation that had never been present with Mako, even in the split second she could feel her remember that perhaps she should pull back and at least _say_ something. Honestly, if she hadn't been so caught off guard, Asami would have pulled her back in. As it stood, all she could manage to think was, _finally_. And yet even after all that, the rising blush in Korra's cheeks almost made it even better.

"I'm so sorry! I missed - uh - worried... a little bit," Korra trailed off. She looked ready to earthbend a hole to sink into.

"Don't be! I want this." A small laugh escaped her as she continued, "You barely gave me a chance to respond."

Korra's hands settled on her hips as air rushed out of her, half a sigh and half nervous laughter. "And here I was wondering if it was just in my head."

"Of course not!"

As they gazed at each other in the ensuing pause, Asami's insides coiled even tighter than before, with something more potent than anticipation and so much more compelling. Her heart raced and yet she felt very still, down to the depths of herself. A gentle breeze blew an ember past, just strong enough to be noticed, and Asami knew that Korra was feeling something similar. What they'd just begun was exactly what they'd been missing.

At last, Asami raised her arms in invitation, and thanked her lucky stars that Korra didn't hesitate for a second.


	3. Day 4

Spirit World Tour, Day 4 - Foothills of Hai-Riyo Peak

 _When we woke up this morning, there was a bit of noise coming from the direction of the sunrise. It turned out to be Iroh's tea shop, full of company. Korra hurried us over there, bouncy even first thing in the morning. We were both excited to see him, and with good reason._

 _What can I say about General Iroh? Everything in Lord Zuko's memoirs is true - the depth of his kindness, the insight he applies to his life and those of his friends, the spear point that is his tactical mind. Still, I can't help feeling like the version of him that lives in the spirit world is somehow purified from the man Lord Zuko knew. Just like every other spirit we've encountered, his nature is immediately clear if you can pay attention in the right way. I'm still getting the hang of it myself, but it's easier with humanoid spirits. But when you meet him, warmth and wisdom almost come off of him in waves._

 _On a more personal note, he's the best pai sho player I've ever met. We played 3 games after breakfast, and they took all day. I felt a little bad for spending so long distracted, but Korra seemed to be content making friends with any spirits that passed through. I do hope to meet May-Jim again though - they tell great stories. Anyway, out of the games, I was only close to winning the second two, but I couldn't pull it off in the end. *Revisit the Elephant Koi Gambit_

 _The concept of staying in the spirit world after death is absolutely fascinating to me. When is a person's connection to the spirits strong enough to make it possible? Does the choice happen while still alive, or is there a sort of limbo where you can choose where to go just after death? Unfortunately, Iroh doesn't remember the exact mechanics, so we'll just have to wonder. It's an amazing possibility, though. I don't know if it's one that will ever be in the cards for me, but what could this mean for the concept of influencing one's "afterlife"? Hopefully spirit world overpopulation isn't possible._

"Psst."

"Hm?"

"Time for a break. All that spirit food and sitting around doing nothing makes me want to take a walk."

Asami laughed and closed her notebook. "Well," she said, drawing out the word, "nothing we ate today will make you fat. You could probably go one day without exercise." She turned to look at Korra just as Korra turned her way. They had settled into their customary back-to-back position a short distance away after Iroh had announced that he needed to go in search of some ingredients and everyone else had dispersed.

"If I skip a day, get lazy, and the world ends, it's your fault."

More laughter. "Alright, help me up. We don't want the world to end."

Up they rose and before Asami could take a single step towards the backpacks, they were joined at the hands. There being only two stools at Iroh's pai sho table, they hadn't spent most of the day this way. They were both more than happy to make up for it now.

"So did you like pai sho with Iroh?" asked Korra as they headed away from the mountain.

"Yes! I even have some ideas about how I might beat him. I just- ahh, this is crazy!"

Korra smiled warmly. "Good. I figured you would."

"Sorry we played for so long." Iroh had fed them throughout the day, and the tea shop had never been empty, but it _had_ been a long day. The light had been fading already halfway through Asami's writing. Korra waved off her apology, though.

"I said we had all the time in the world, didn't I?" To that, Asami simply smiled and kissed her girlfriend on the temple. Humming contentedly, Korra continued, "Though there are perks to having your undivided attention."

"I could say the same." After a few minutes of comfortable silence, she asked, "What do you want to do tomorrow? You should pick since you spent today sitting."

"This is your vacation pick. And I had a good day. Nothing to make up for."

"There's nothing you feel like doing?" Korra shrugged.

"Honestly, this trip is already way better than any other time I've been here. Corny as it sounds, I'm happy as long as I'm with you."

They continued on as Asami thought for a moment. She very much wanted to see if they could find Wan Shi Tong's library, but was concerned that such a trip would end up the same way for Korra. It was easy to believe that Korra could be fine with whatever she wanted to do, but she still wanted to be fair.

"How about a game?" Korra suggested, pulling her out of her contemplations.

"What kind?"

"I'll try to guess where you're trying to avoid telling me you want to go. If I get it right, that's where we go."

"How -"

"The catch is that you can't tell me if I'm right. I have to figure it out from your reaction."

Skeptical, Asami pointed out that that was hardly a balanced game. "And besides," she went on, "what do you get out of that?"

Korra gave an impish grin. "The sweet taste of victory."

They both laughed at that. Winning was definitely something Korra enjoyed, no question about that. It still wasn't a perfect arrangement, but Asami could live with it, especially since it would require her to be focus of her girlfriend's rapt attention. It wasn't just Korra who thought that kind of thing was a plus.

"Alright, shoot."

"I'm not gonna guess now! If you're prepared you'll - _ehh_." She'd trailed off because at that moment, the sky had opened up into the most torrential instant downpour either of them had ever seen. Korra reacted almost immediately, but still her bangs were plastered to her forehead.

"Oh! Wow, um that was sudden," Asami sputtered through her own soaked hair.

"Tell me about it," said Korra, lifting her hair out of her eyes with one hand as the other maintained their waterbent canopy. As she looked over to start to bend the water from Asami's - well, _everything_ \- her face fell into disbelief. "Oh, come on."

"What?"

"Your face - if you didn't take it off every night, I'd swear your makeup was tattooed on." She began to laugh as Asami's eyebrows shot up. "All these years later, and you're still perfect."

Asami was starting to wonder how she could've possibly thought that she would need to take it slow with Korra. As if she wasn't one of the most gifted learners in the history of anything she put her mind to. She scoffed, trying not to focus on the heat spreading across her face.

"Perfect? And what does that make you?"

"Lucky."

Asami supposed she set herself up for that one. Still, there was no denying Korra had her pegged - this kind of cheesy compliment always worked.

Rewarding the smooth delivery with a kiss, Asami simply said, "Come on, Lucky, our bags are probably soaked."

* * *

The bags were indeed soaked, but everything survived, thanks to Asami's careful packing and a couple emergency drying sessions. An earthbent tent kept any more water outside, but it was starting to seem like the rain was going to persist through the night. There was a bit of grumbling at the wetness, but neither of them wanted to impose on the tea shop while Iroh was out, nor did they relish the idea of sharing a space with a third person.

After a while, a group of young (or at least they seemed so) fox spirits began to frolic in the rain, passing in and out of view in front of the tent. Korra and Asami sat against the wall watching the hubbub, the latter leaning comfortably in the former's lap. The spirits were very energetic despite the hour, but the constant rainfall was dangerously close to putting the humans to sleep.

"I almost forgot what it was like to have normal weather," Asami murmured.

"Hmm?" Korra hadn't yet stopped running her fingers through Asami's hair, but her pace had slowed considerably.

"The whole time, the weather's either been beautiful or beautiful and influenced by your mood."

"Oh. Well... rain can still be beautiful."

"I agree. I just meant that this is different."

"Oh."

"Actually, I'm surprised you didn't make it rain on me yesterday," Asami teased. There was a slight pause as Korra's tired mind caught up with what she meant.

"I tried to focus so that it didn't get bad. This place'll probably always make me a little nervous, but I meant it when I said you can handle anything in here. I just focused on that."

Asami knew she was thinking more along the lines of hostile spirits than strange phenomena, but the statement brought a pleased smile to her face anyway. At last, Korra's fingertips settled near her shoulder. She sounded barely awake.

"So, when do you want to head over to Wan Shi Tong's?" she asked. That certainly caught Asami's attention.

"When did we decide to go there?" she asked carefully. She felt a gentle tap at her collarbone.

"When your heartbeat sped up just now." Asami looked up to see her girlfriend looking like the cat that caught the sparrowkeet. She gave a playful huff in response.

"Clever. We can go whenever you want, since there's no guarantee we'll be allowed in anyway."

"So, right after breakfast so we have enough time to escape if he gets his feathers in a twist?" That got a good laugh.

"Sounds good."


	4. Day 5

Spirit World Tour, Day 5 - Iroh's Tea Shop

 _Today we're going to visit Wan Shi Tong's library! We just finished breakfast (one last with Iroh) and Korra ran off for more water from the spring while I jotted down a few things. Even if we're not allowed inside, this will be amazing. And besides that, this will only be the 2nd time humans have seen the library since it left the physical world. I just hope Wan Shi Tong still puts at least some stock in the old rules..._

Even though that day they did take advantage of fast travelling as much as possible, it took almost all morning to arrive at the library. Between certain spirits deciding today was the perfect day to ask the Avatar to settle a property dispute and others being very, _very_ bad at giving directions, progress was slow. Then, after all that, they decided (really, Asami insisted) on having an early lunch a little bit away from the library to give Korra a chance to recover from being tired and grumpy. The smaller the chance of her getting into a shouting match with a supposedly all-knowing spirit, the better.

Finally, they approached the great library, hanging inexplicably from countless vines. The foundation of the giant structure could barely be seen through the canopy. It was truly a sight to see. Eventually, it was Korra who looked away first.

"Ready to go?" she asked, shifting her weight from one foot to the other. When Asami answered in the affirmative, she knelt down. "Climb on, and hang on tight."

Asami did just that, wrapping her legs around Korra's waist and trying her best not to put her in a chokehold. Once she was settled, Korra took off, propelling them upward from branch to branch with powerful bursts of air. Navigating the vines to the closest window was trickier, and disorientation from the reversal of gravity made their landing a bit ungraceful, but there they were, in the Spirit Library at last.

Dusting herself off, Asami caught a flash of movement on the path to her right. As she turned, she saw one of the library's fox-like knowledge seekers bounding away from the main crossroads on which they stood.

"Guess we won't have to wait long," said Korra from beside her.

They didn't. Less than a minute later, a great mass of feathers swooped up from the depths of the library, coming to rest right in front of them. There towered Wan Shi Tong.

"I'm amazed that you humans keep appearing in my library, even after I thought I made it quite clear that you're not permitted here," he said. The owl seemed calm enough, but it was well-known that his temper was short, and not without reason. As the two women glanced at each other, he leaned in closer, realizing who he was speaking to. "Ah, the Avatar. I suppose you expect another exception to be made on your behalf? You'll be disappointed."

"Actually, we're here for Asami," Korra replied, gesturing to her girlfriend. "I'm just along for the ride." Large, beady eyes flicked toward Asami at the mention of her name, but only for a split second.

"So you say, but your presence here still carries weight."

"I don't suppose that weight could earn us a visit?" Wan Shi Tong did not seem to appreciate her boldness. He straightened and clicked his beak before firmly stating that Korra's status earned them nothing.

"Please, Wan Shi Tong, do you still accept new knowledge?" Asami spoke up at last, drawing the spirit's attention back to her.

"Your last friend offered knowledge as well, but I assure you my knowledge seekers are much more diligent now. New knowledge is always welcome, but it no longer serves as an entry ticket." Asami wished _so_ badly that she could point out that when 'their last friend' came to him in good faith, he'd been the only one to benefit. "Besides," continued Wan Shi Tong, "what could you offer me that I don't already know?"

It was as good an opening as she was bound to get. She slid her pack from her shoulders, ready to retrieve the wax paper-wrapped documents.

"I have proof that humans can fly like hummingbirds without the use of airbending," she said. Korra gave her an encouraging smile as she unrolled the blueprints. Normally, flourishes weren't her style in presenting her work, but she had to make the most of what she had. At least Wan Shi Tong looked a little interested.

"I see," was all he said at first.

"These machines were only completed within the last month, and none currently remain in operation. I can promise this information is new, and I'd be honored if it could have a place in your library."

There was a long pause before the great owl admitted, "These are impressive. I will accept this." Brightening immediately, Asami tried not to stagger forward as Korra clapped her on the shoulder.

"Then may we take a look around?" she asked.

"No."

"What?" Korra cried.

"How is that fair?" Asami demanded at the same time. Wan Shi Tong ruffled himself, indignant.

"This library has suffered ages of 'unfair' at the hands of humans. Even you, the bridge between our worlds, have misused my knowledge," he groused. Out of the corner of her eye, Asami could see Korra throw up her hands in exasperation at being held responsible for a past life's actions. "So now, as I have said, this library is only open to spirits and their friends."

Korra glared up at the spirit, clearly getting more upset than was wise. "But if anyone's a friend to the spirits, it's Asami! She made sure that the spirits who moved to Republic City had homes, she helped to design the city itself so the spirit wilds would stay intact. Those machines she designed helped to stop spirit vine energy from being used for war. And she did most of all that while I wasn't even around!" The other two present both looked at her somewhat bewildered as she took a breath. Asami's expression soon melted into warmth. "Please let her look around. She deserves it, even if I don't," she finished.

Wan Shi Tong continued to stare at her for a long moment before he finally said, "Very well, you may enter, both of you. But I must know if you seek something specific - and be aware that I will know if you lie."

In her excitement, Asami stammered that she hadn't been looking for anything in particular, but maybe they could look for any record of humans who'd lived peacefully with spirits. Wan Shi Tong clucked at that.

"Humans have destroyed the spirit wilds ever since they came into contact with them."

"But, there must've been some."

He gave a deep sigh that moved around them like the first breeze of a storm. "My knowledge seekers will assist you. Do not stay too long," was all he said. Just like that, the great spirit was gone, sweeping the blueprints from her hands and flying out of sight.

It took a moment for Korra and Asami to fully realize that they'd done it. Korra had barely started to turn when she found her lips being assaulted by her girlfriend's. Not that that was a problem, of course, judging by the quickly returned embrace. When she finally pulled back, Asami was practically glowing.

"I just - how can I ever thank you enough?"

Asami was surprised to see Korra start to blush at that. "We're not even inside yet!"

"I know. I just needed you to know you're absolutely amazing." Laughter bubbled up in Korra as she tightened her hold.

"Then what does that make you?"

"Very lucky."

* * *

Spirit World Tour, Day 5 (pt. 2) - Near Wan Shi Tong's Spirit Library

 _It's very late, but today was so much more than I'd hoped for. The claim that the library holds all the knowledge in the world doesn't seem like a stretch. We learned so much about spirits - how they live, culture (in a manner of speaking), those who had notable human friends- there are no words for how useful this can be in helping to mix human and spirit life. Hopefully, the knowledge we bring back can push more people to become friends to the spirits. *See red file for copied passages._


	5. Day 6

Spirit World Tour, Day 6 - Location Unknown

 _Today, we visited the Tree of Time. Getting there was a lot faster since Korra knew exactly what she was looking for. Before we broke camp, she told me the parts of its history that she knew, and tried to tell me what I might expect, but nothing can really prepare you for being there._

 _For miles around the Tree of Time, the landscape is dramatic. Great sloping mountains surround the area, and there are smaller ones closer to the Tree itself. From a distance, they look like giant swirls of ratchet teeth. Water is all over in streams. The patterns in the land almost look like they've been designed. At times, the ground seemed to be made of stone and glass at the same time - it's hard to explain. Maybe it's just the light from the portals. The area was brighter than anywhere else we've visited, by far._

 _The spirits here were much more densely packed than anywhere else, too. Almost all of them grouped directly on the giant tree (except for the flying whale - again, I shouldn't be surprised). They mostly ignored us after an initial greeting except for one chubby little light spirit who had apparently helped Korra find her way in her travels. The spirit almost seemed like a kid, but it was able to tell us a lot more about the Tree. It turns out the legend that the roots of the Tree bind the two worlds isn't completely wrong. If you go deep enough, the roots become pure spiritual energy without any physical form at all, and those touch everything that grows in either world. The light spirit said it was less like binding and more like a common foundation for two parts of one big world. It seems like everything I see here reinforces the idea of the illusion of separation. It's just crazy to be able to see it firsthand._

 _I didn't have to go into the Tree, but how could I not? Korra gave me a boost up to the hollow, and at first nothing happened, but suddenly, memories flashed around the walls like they were being projected from my mind just like it had happened with Korra during Harmonic Convergence. Some were good, and some were painful. It's surreal to watch your life playing out before you like a mover, especially since the memories don't play out in 1st person. Like I said, nothing can prepare you for that._

 _Korra thinks that what happens in the Tree of Time is some ambient form of energybending. It's certainly possible. Energybending is probably the biggest mystery in our world. I could think of endless possible applications, but as far as we know, the Avatar is the only one who can do it. Or, at least the only human. I don't mean just industrial applications, either. Everything that exists has energy, so what are the limits on how that energy can be bent? Are there things in which a change to energy would cause a physical change? How does spirit food take such familiar shapes when it seems to be pure energy (based on the lack of mass)? The big questions just keep coming. The spirit world seems to have that effect._

 _We're not staying near the Tree of Time tonight. It didn't really seem like the kind of place we should linger, even though Korra said it used to be a lot less inviting. Even beyond the surrounding mountains, it's still a long time before you start to see less rocky features in the land. Korra and I talked about what we'd each seen in the Tree on the walk back. Honestly, I can't tell how I feel yet, coming out of this part of the trip._

Setting her notes down, Asami was at a bit of a loss. The Tree of Time had left quite an impact, but it wasn't the kind of thing that spurred her to action. She supposed it was just the feeling you got when you touched something so much bigger than yourself.

At that moment, a small metal tea cup appeared in Asami's vision. Korra had spent less time meditating than usual and taken it upon herself to start their evening tea.

Was she supposed to get that feeling about Korra, too? Sure, she was awestruck whenever Korra pulled off amazing feats of bending, but it was nothing like the reverence the Tree of Time seemed to demand. Asami had known _Korra_ before she truly came into contact with _the Avatar_ , had seen her and fallen for her as a person, not an entity. But that didn't erase what she was.

Taking the offered cup, Asami murmured, "Thanks, sweetie."

Korra's smile fell when she heard Asami's tone. "Something wrong?"

"No, not _wrong_..." As she trailed off, it was clear the gears in her head were still turning. Korra sat and waited for her to continue. "It's just... a lot. I'm glad we came, it's just that the Tree of Time is pretty huge."

"I get it," Korra said. "I sort of wish I hadn't seen it the first time when I had so much else on my mind." Asami smiled, understanding.

"There's so much that I've seen that I wouldn't have thought possible four years ago."

"Tell me about it."

"And you're a big part of that."

"Oh, is _that_ why I'm always getting in trouble?" Korra shook her head. "Phew, I thought I was cursed."

Asami looked at her with playful exasperation. "Anyway," she continued as Korra sipped her own tea innocently, "I guess I was just thinking about how easy it is to forget how far back your history goes. How far back all of this goes."

A few clouds passed in front of the rapidly setting sun as Korra paused, caught off guard. Asami wondered idly if they were mood-induced or just weather.

"I definitely didn't expect the Tree to make you start thinking so hard about _me_. Thank you, though, for taking all that seriously."

"How could I not?"

Korra shrugged. "I don't know! You could've been amazed at what it could do, then come back later to sell tickets to people. 'Ten yuans a pop to watch things you've already lived through' or something."

"Wow. Don't say that in front of Varrick."

"Don't worry," Korra laughed.

Asami started to sip her tea as a companionable silence settled over them. The sun would be out of sight very soon, but the original spirit portals still filled the sky with gentle light. Every once in a while, a spirit would come or go from the valley of the Tree of Time, but they were alone otherwise.

After all the fantastic things they'd seen, Asami was trying to ignore the fact that tomorrow was their last full day of vacation. She was eager to put everything she'd learned to use, but it was so nice to have some time for herself. She would have to see about taking a few non-Team Avatar-related days a year. Running herself into the ground as she had been the last three years wouldn't do anymore. For now, though, watching a couple more sunsets with Korra was more than enough.


	6. Day 7

Spirit World Tour, Day 7 - Near the Republic City Portal

 _**Figure out if any reliable measure of distance can work in the spirit world._

 _We fast-travelled back to the general vicinity of the Republic City portal this evening in order to be ready to head back tomorrow, so now we're camped at the mouth of one of the breaks in the surrounding icebergs. By the way, the icebergs aren't very cold to the touch. I wonder how they were formed. Anyway, the rest of the day was pretty normal by spirit world standards. We ended up walking through a settlement of spirit cicadas (louder and much more profane than normal ones), but yeah, pretty normal._

 _I guess now would be the time to take down my overall impressions of this vacation. The spirit world is tremendous. What I've seen has been staggeringly beautiful and wild. Even though almost every spirit can be kind if you are positive too, you never forget how fundamentally different this place is from the physical world. It's hard to get more specific than that since this_ is _a whole new world we're talking about. People will be discovering new things about it, good or bad, for ages._

 _Spirits are hardly my area of expertise, but I know that I want to be one of the people on the frontier. I spent a week here, and it's clear that we barely even nicked the surface. The hardest part will be that I don't think the spirit world will generally need help in the way that I'm used to giving it. That's part of the challenge, though. And it's why I have Korra._

 _I'm going to come back to visit often - maybe once a year. I'm not sure if I'll ever work up the courage to go without Korra along. Who knows - maybe if I can develop a decent map. I've already taken a walk by myself, after all._

 _What will really be interesting is when the groups of explorers start to pour in, since it's only a matter of time. To be honest, I'm surprised there haven't been expeditions before now, but I guess the Northern and Southern portals are much more defensible. Korra might not be the bridge anymore in the most literal sense, but now she has two worlds that can be directly set off balance at any time. Grappling with that is bound to be a struggle. But, that's why Korra has Team Avatar._

"Are you taking notes for yourself or do you plan to publish them?" Korra asked, once again back-to-back with Asami.

"Mostly for me, but it's also possible that someone else will see them." Asami turned around and draped her arms around her girlfriend's shoulders.

Turning as best as she could to look at Asami, Korra quipped, "So these will probably show up in the tell-all book they write about the great Asami Sato."

"Hmm, maybe. Just imagine what they'll write about you, though."

"I'm in there?"

"Well, this vacation _was_ the two of us." Korra shrugged, conceding the point.

"True. Well, then they'd probably say that Avatar Korra was the best spirit world guide ever, and she never ever lost arguments with fish spirits."

Asami gave a snort of laughter. "Half right, sweetie." She punctuated the statement with a kiss to the cheek.

* * *

Late into the night, they both still lay awake talking, trying to draw out the time they had left. They marveled at how the light from the spirit portal refracted through the icebergs and discussed how quickly the meadow would become a tourist attraction like the spirit wilds (almost immediately). Korra told a lot of old Water Tribe stories (Asami liked "The Clever Cuttlefish" the most). At some point, Asami went into great detail about the workings of biplanes (Korra didn't understand the most mechanical parts, but enjoyed listening anyway). At this point, they were starting to get tired, just not quite tired enough to quit.

In a lull in conversation, Asami's mind drifted to other memories she had with Korra. The vast majority of them were pleasant, but it occurred to her that they had spent relatively little time alone when compared to the time they'd known each other. And yet, here she was, entangled with the woman and unable to imagine her life without her.

"Hey," she said, drawing Korra's attention away from sprinkling kisses into her hair.

"Hey."

"Think you'll ever let me finish teaching you to drive?" Asami could easily imagine the look that would settle on Korra's face as she chuckled.

"Sure, whenever we're free. Have you recovered from last time?"

"It could've been worse." The driver in Asami disagreed, but mostly she just counted herself lucky that they hadn't crashed.

"I guess that's true. But, with you for a teacher, I'll get it in no time. Maybe I'll even be able to beat you in a race!" At that, the pleased smile that had been spreading over Asami's face stopped cold. She leaned away a bit to look Korra in the eye.

"You remember what happened to the last guy you saw me race, right?"

"Yeah. That was awesome," laughed Korra.

"Then you know that I'm not easily beaten on the track."

"Yeah, that's the point."

For a split second, Asami considered being kind, but to the void with that. On the track, Asami was queen, and she wasn't going to even imply that she would go easy on any potential usurpers. She shook her head, smiling with anticipation.

"Then I hope you're ready to get destroyed for a very long time." Korra wore a devilish grin to match her own.

"I look forward to it."

It didn't take too much longer after that for the two of them to fall asleep, limbs still tangled. Except for the occasional breeze, the night was calm. Light from the portal continued to throw dancing colors along the walls of the camp and into the sky. It seemed as though the rest of the world had followed them into quiet, peaceful sleep.


	7. Day 8

Day 8 - Epilogue

"Ready to head out?"

Asami looked up from placing the last of her toiletries into her pack. It was late morning, both of them having slept in, but the portal looked pretty much the same in the background. It beckoned and repelled her simultaneously.

"Yep," she said. She didn't need to express her reluctance to rejoin the physical world; she could see the same feelings written all over Korra's face.

Korra slung her pack onto her shoulders and held out a hand for Asami to take. The latter took a long look around, running her hand along her arm. Korra waited patiently, but when her girlfriend's trance broke, she didn't move to take up her backpack.

"Thank you so much for bringing me here and being here with me," she said instead. "This vacation has been one of the most incredible weeks of my life."

Her expression gentle, Korra responded that Asami didn't need to thank her. "I've had an amazing time, too."

"Still, thank you anyway." Korra smiled as Asami finally reached for her backpack.

"You know..." she began, "after all that spirit food at Iroh's, we have an extra day of food on us." Asami straightened. "I think the we can afford to be a little late coming back."

Smiling, Asami stepped closer to peck her girlfriend on the lips. "Good plan."


End file.
